


Dust dancing in the flicker-light

by skysthelimit_7



Category: The Eagle | Eagle of the Ninth (2011)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, X-Men Crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-04
Updated: 2012-09-04
Packaged: 2017-11-13 13:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/503969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skysthelimit_7/pseuds/skysthelimit_7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marcus smiled to the unnatural darkness, seeing the copper-colored dust flying around the room, whirling around someone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dust dancing in the flicker-light

**Author's Note:**

> Crossover with X-men written for snb123 at the eagle_exchange LJ community.
> 
> The title is from the movie Third Star.
> 
> Thanks to poziomeczka for being my beta!

Marcus ran into the abandoned shed that stood in the middle of nowhere, a few miles away from the road.

He was late.

Esca was already inside – Marcus could see traces of power, like strains of dust floating all around the place as Esca used his abilities to create some kind of illusion. Marcus wondered what would he find this time: some posh, futuristic room like last time? A beach, like the time before? No, Esca never used the same illusion twice.

Not that Marcus cared anyway. He only cared about him.

Taking a deep breath, Marcus closed his eyes for a second. He cared far too much, he knew. It had only been two weeks, but at times he felt he was slipping into madness. _This_ was insane, too difficult and insane, but still…

Still, he opened the door and went inside.

“You’re late.”

Marcus smiled to the unnatural darkness, seeing the copper-colored dust flying around the room, whirling around someone. Esca should have known that darkness couldn’t stop him from _seeing_ , from sensing him by now.

Silently, he walked to Esca and threw his arms around the slender body. And it was so easy, it felt so right.

“Sorry,” Marcus whispered. “I couldn’t leave until Scott went to bed.”

There was no answer, but Esca got a little closer as the dust shook and swerved as if it had been moved by wind; tiny candles appeared out of nowhere, illuminating Esca’s cocky smile.

“Do you like it?” he asked, hands grabbing Marcus’s shirt, to haul him closer.

“Do I like what? You? Of course I like you.”

Esca laughed, loud and happy and Marcus blinked bemusedly back at him, failing to comprehend.

“I mean the room, you twat.”

Oh. The room.

_Of course._

He looked around. There was a large bed with deep crimson sheets in its centre, scarlet curtains to match, dark carpet and candles, candles everywhere.

It all looked ethereal, too much like an illusion, so Marcus let his own blueish dust mingle with Esca’s, solidifying the vision, giving it weight, like he’d done so many times in the past.

“It’s very… romantic. You’d make a great designer, I’m sure.”

Esca chuckled, looking up at him, eyes softening, the closest thing to a _I miss you_ Marcus would ever get. He didn’t care, though, ‘cause he already knew Esca missed him just as much.

Marcus was never able to tell who kissed who, they always sort of met halfway. Want, relieve, _I missed you_ , _closercomeclosermore_. Always needing more.

Esca smiled against his lips, hands going up the other man’s arms, making them glow because he knew the dust tingled against Marcus’s skin. Marcus moaned, deepening the kiss.

 

Soon enough, they landed on the bed, Esca on top of him, mouths and hands everywhere, clothes thrown to the floor. Esca started biting his way down Marcus’s throat, finding a sensitive spot that made him moan, buckle his hips against the other’s and dig his fingers on his shoulder. Esca hissed then, his body jolting with pain.

“What’s wrong?” Marcus asked worriedly, examining Esca’s body.

There was nothing on his…

Wait.

He almost missed it, with all the dust flying around the room, but when he put a hand on Esca’s skin he felt the undeniable tickle that meant he was using his power to cover something there.

“Show me.”

Esca huffed, pissed at being discovered. Marcus put a hand on his hip, with a pleading look that made him sigh and close his eyes.  
And then the bruises started to appear. There weren’t many, but they were _huge_. Shoulder, leg, abdomen, and probably on his back too. God, who’d done this to him?

“Esca, what…?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”

He tried to distract Marcus with a kiss, but he stopped him, which earned him Esca’s best murderous glance. It didn’t work on Marcus, and that only got him angrier.

“I just want to know what happened.”

Esca raised his chin in that characteristic, annoying way of his.

“No.”

Why was he so fucking _stubborn_?

“Jesus, Esca, wouldn’t you ask if –”

“I said no, all right? Is that so hard to understand? Fuck!”

He jumped off of Marcus’s body and sat on the bed, crossing his arms over his chest like a child and not looking at him.

Then Marcus got it.

And God, it hurt.

“It was one of my friends, then. Was it Iceman? Kitty Pride? Or maybe –”

“Bloody hell, Marcus, just _stop asking_!”

 

Marcus looked away, angry at himself, at his friends for hurting Esca. They had been Esca’s friends too, once. They shouldn’t be fighting against each other, damnit, none of the mutants should. Just because they had different views didn’t mean they had to kill each other, why didn’t they understand? Why didn’t they try?

“Marcus.”

Esca’s voice was softer now, calmer.

“We’re enemies, on different sides. They hurt me and I hurt them too, it’s the way it is and we can’t change that.”

Marcus nodded. He knew, but…

“I just wish this would stop, that they would understand how… how difficult this is, that you’re still you, even if...”

Esca shushed him, sitting on his lap again and pressing his forehead against Marcus’s. They breathed close together, like the way they used to, like they were meant to.

Usually, they didn’t talk about these things – it hurt too much to know that they were too different, that this wouldn’t work. They silently agreed on this the first time they met after Esca had changed sides.

 

This time, the kiss was slower. It made everything hurt less, _I’m here, don’t worry, it’ll work, it’s us against the world_. Marcus ran his fingers against pale skin, being careful with the bruises. He smiled when he felt Esca shiver.

Esca broke the kiss, voice hoarse.

“I… I’d like to try something, will you help me?”

“Sure.”

He took Marcus’s hand, eyes fixed on his.

“Concentrate as hard as you can on our hands.”

Marcus smiled, squeezing Esca’s fingers, and nodded.

The dust started moving around their joined hands, both their colors mixing. Something began to form on Marcus’s hand, and he did everything he could to help.

Soon, Marcus realized that the shape was familiar. His heart skipped a beat.

The wooden eagle his father gave him. He lost it months ago, the night Esca told him he wanted to leave Xavier’s school to go with Magneto. It was dark, they were far from the school and ended up fighting, rolling down a grassy hill, the eagle lost somewhere along the way.

Esca drew back his hand and Marcus stared at it. It was perfect. Smaller than it should be, maybe, but perfect nevertheless.

“Sorry that the real one got lost,” said Esca in a whisper, his eyes fixing on Marcus’s with intensity.

Marcus took the other’s hand, twining their fingers and closing them around the eagle again, thinking that maybe, just maybe, if they stayed like this forever, the eagle wouldn’t disappear.

 

* * *

Marcus returned to the school just a few hours before sunrise. The doors automatically opened early in the morning because some of the students liked to run before the classes started, so he just sneaked out by the back door and went up the stairs.  
The small eagle hadn’t disappeared after Esca left, and Marcus couldn’t stop staring at it. They had made it, and it hadn’t gone away. It was real. They created it together.

With a huge grin, he opened the door to his room and silently went in.

Marcus was too busy looking at the eagle to see Professor Xavier on the corridor, watching him with a sad, knowing smile.


End file.
